Apparently today is “ship off your spare outfielders” day in Pittsburgh.

Diaz will be seen as a disappointment for his five months in the ‘burgh but he was mostly his normal self after an ice cold April. The biggest problem was the team played him too often against righthanded pitchers.

Pretty minor stuff. Lopez was good in his half season with the Bucs and won a title with the Giants. Martinez amounted to a fill in arm for the rest of the year. There’s been no word on what the Pirates got to complete the January deal with from Cleveland. Bowker still has some potential as a major league hitter but at 27 that time is running short. Good luck to him.

Sorry for the lateness of this post. I had to evacuate from my vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina due to hurricane Irene. Today’s quickly posted trade tree covers Vinegar Bend Mizell.

Mizell was a strong pitcher during the regular season for the 1960 World Series winning team, throwing three shutouts among his eight complete games. He didn’t fair so well during the postseason, throwing only 2.1 innings in two games (one start), and allowing four runs. Julian Javier started at second for the Cards for over a decade.

This one came from another suggestion by my dad. Utility player Jose Pagan.

Not a ton to see here. Jose had one good season with the bat (1969, 118 OPS+) but his versatility made him a pretty good piece to have on a team. The man he was traded for, Dick Schofield, was a similar player who would be more notable today for his son and grandson.

The excitement didn’t end there as the Pirates signed the #1 pick in the draft Gerrit Cole but also signed their #2 pick Josh Bell. Cole’s signing was expected but Bell was a first round talent who fell because it was believed he would follow through on his commitment to the University of Texas. Superb job by Neal Huntington to get both guys in the fold.